It Will Take Forever (To Fade Away)
by Her Is In Hero
Summary: A year since San Juan, a year since Skye got her powers, a year since she woke up with her mark... A year since Trip had died. *8th in the Like A Stain series*


_**It Will Take Forever (To Fade Away)**_

The first year Skye had been inconsolable, rejecting any touch or comfort from Bobbi. That had been when their relationship was fairly new - only a few months since they'd realised they were a triad, not any form or conventional relationship - so it had stung Bobbi a lot. Lance didn't know what to do either, though that was mostly a crying thing, he freaked out whenever someone cried within fifty feet of him.

Then Skye had disappeared one day, seemingly out of the blue, but Coulson didn't seem concerned that she was missing.

It had taken Bobbi much longer than she'd liked for her to realise it had been a year.

A year since San Juan, a year since Skye got her powers, a year since she woke up with her mark... A year since Trip had died.

It's not like they forgot about him - the base was a lot more sober without Trip around - but they had moved on. Mostly. Coulson would get excited whenever something pertaining to Captain America and the Howling Commandos came up, and he'd start to say something about a story Trip had told him that had been passed down from his grandfather, before going silent for a minute. May always kept a space open in her co-pilots seat. The Grumpy Cat mug hadn't been used in a year. He'd been Bobbi's friend, friends were hard to come by in their profession.

None of that seemed to compare to Skye though. Skye, who had been his Soulmate. Who had bonded with him only minutes before he died. Who had attempted to reject Bobbi because it meant that Trip really wasn't there. Who had the faint red scar of his mark only three inches above her mark on her hand.

* * *

It wasn't hard to notice that Skye was drinking more. She wasn't generally a drinker - not since her teenaged years - just like Bobbi didn't like to take painkillers anymore.

Hunter didn't say anything, just looked at her with sad puppy eyes.

Bobbi left water and aspirin on her bedside table, just like she did before.

It probably wasn't wise to facilitate Skye's drinking, but she'd heard stories of people whose Soulmates had died. Getting a second mark had never happened before. They usually got depressed, sometimes went insane, sometimes worse. Bobbi would let Skye have a few drinks if it helped, because anything was better than losing her completely.

* * *

When Skye came back after a week-long absence that left Bobbi and Hunter lost and confused - why had she left? Was something wrong? What was wrong? Why didn't she come to them to help her? - she hadn't said anything, just crawled into bed and cried into Bobbi's stomach whilst Hunter held them both.

* * *

The second year Bobbi badgered Fitz into telling them where Skye went - because of course the Scotsman knew.

California.

Bobbi and Hunter hadn't told anyone before they'd taken off in search of their third, tracing the younger woman's cell phone to a small town in California where the sun always seemed to shine twice as bright and nearly all the houses had a picket fence. The single-storey house they stopped outside of was the home of an older widowed woman who had lost her son two years previous.

Trip's mother.

Skye went to visit Trip's mother - a woman she'd never got to meet while the man was alive - so the two could mourn together. A Son and a Soulmate.

* * *

Skye went to the graveyard alone. There was no body - crumble dust and chunks of stone buried in the coffin - but there was a grave with a pristine white headstone. More symbolic than anything.

Bobbi and Hunter stood by a tree and watch as Skye knelt by the grave, not wanting to invade her moment. Her moment was invaded anyway - Bobbi wanted to punch the woman who interrupted, but Hunter stopped her and made her watch - a blonde woman greeted Skye. They couldn't hear words from where they were, but Skye hugged the woman and the two sat by the grave.

* * *

Skye went to the graveyard every day and sat with the Trip's grave ( _A man can accomplish anything when he realises he's a part of something bigger_ , his marble gravestone read) and then went back to Mrs. Triplett's house and stayed there.

Bobbi and Hunter never talked to her.

Skye sent Bobbi a text on the fourth day telling them to come to the house.

The house was cozy, homey, when Bobbi and Hunter got there they weren't the only ones. The blonde from the graveyard, an elderly man... Was that Captain America?

Skye curled into Bobbi's arms, burying her face into the blonde's neck and holding on tightly. The blonde could feel the sadness in the house, the sorrow over a man that died too soon. All these people who lost part of their family, a mother who lost her son, her sweet Skye who lost her Soulmate.

* * *

The blonde woman that had been with Skye at the graveyard was Sharon Carter. No physical relation to Trip, but they'd grown up in the same world - grandson of a Howling Commando and great-niece of Peggy Carter - had been at Commando reunions together growing, gone through the Academy together. As close to a sister as Trip had.

Bobbi felt like an imposter in comparison to all these people who loved Trip so much. She'd been his friend who had bonded with his Soulmate the first chance she got after his death.

* * *

The woman cornered Bobbi on the fifth day when Skye was at the graveyard and Hunter had disappeared somewhere - probably waiting in the car to drive her back at the end of the day.

"She was Trips first, you know." Sharon Carter, great-niece of Peggy Carter, Trip's childhood best friend, former personal guard of Captain freaking America, current CIA Agent.

"Um... Yeah." Bobbi nodded, the scar on Skye's hand would never fade. Nor would the scar Trip's death had left on her heart. "I, uh... I know."

"He was going to marry her, you know?" Sharon continued, it made Bobbi's stomach twist painfully. "Got the ring off his Mama and everything before he died."

"I didn't know." Bobbi could hold up under torture, but not against Trip's surrogate sister.

"What would you have done if they had gotten married? If Trip was still alive, Skye never got your mark, they lived happily ever after... What would you have done?" What would she have done? It was hard to think about and that made her nauseous. Because she was selfish. It was hard because Trips survival meant she wouldn't have bonded with Skye. But, Trip would have been alive. Was her bond worth more than a great mans life?

"I would have been happy for her." Bobbi murmured, she couldn't look at Sharon as she spoke. "Trip was an amazing man and he would have been good for her, made her happy, and even if it meant I wasn't the one making her happy... I like to think that I'd be happy for them."

"At the cost of your own happiness?"

"If it meant Skye was happy; sure."

* * *

That night Bobbi is awake the whole night, sitting in bed watching Lance and Skye sleep. Lance is wrapped around Skye like a sweater, holding her tightly and undoubtedly snoring in her ear. She can see his mark on the back of his shoulder in the dark; her words in the same blue of her eyes and her handwriting permanently on his skin.

It was fine for her to say that she would have been happy for Skye and Trip, she hadn't known her long, hadn't lived years knowing that she would never love her like she loved her.

Lance had.

Lance had her words on his skin; he'd loved her, married her, spent years in their destructive relationship. Because she was his Soulmate and he'd take any relationship with her even though it was toxic.

Would she have done the same? Would she have stayed at the Playground just to be around Skye? Would she have been able to be around Skye and not be with her?

The younger woman snuffled in her sleep, her hand reaching over Lance's hip, fingers clenching and unclenching - Trip's scarred mark nearly shining in the moonlight - as they reached for her.

As bad as it sounded - as harsh and unfeeling and downright horrible - she was happy she'd never have to find out what it would be like. She'd spent months before the bond trying to deny that her mark dictated her feelings, and the months after they established the bond had been heartbreaking - an emotional and physical turmoil after Skye and Hunter left.

But, it wasn't years.

It wasn't watching her love someone else.

Her hand reaches for Skye's touching their marks and smiling a little at the happy hum Skye let out as she settled back into sleep.

Bobbi doesn't know what she would have done, but she knows that she'll never let Trip's sacrifice be forgotten.

Because he was her friend. He was a good man. He was a great Agent.

He loved Skye as much as she does.

* * *

On the 6th day Bobbi goes to the graveyard alone.

Skye has already been for the day and the graveyard is otherwise empty.

Trip's grave is littered with flowers and pristinely clean, unlike some of the others nearby. It feels awkward for her to be there, to be talking to a piece of stone - and the pieces of stone under the ground - but she does it anyway.

She promises him that she'll love Skye. That both she and Hunter will love Skye. That they'll make her as happy as possible. She tells him of the amazing things Skye has done with S.H.I.E.L.D and the Caterpillar's.

Bobbi tells the stone pieces of Trip's body that one day her, Hunter and Skye will tell their kids about what an amazing man he'd been and that if it wasn't for him they never would have found each other.

She ends with a promise to look after his family. Because his family is her family now - through his bond to Skye, her bond to Skye, because it's the right thing to do, because she feels guilty, she doesn't know.

* * *

Mrs. Triplett corners Lance on the seventh day - a few hours before they're going to leave - and demands to know his intentions. Her exact wording is somewhere along the lines of; 'What are your intentions with my Antoine's sweet girl?'

"My intentions?" Hunter yelps, his eyes wide. This was definitely not how he imagined the _intentions_ talk going. For one thing, neither May or Coulson were there, and he wasn't being threatened with bodily harm or death.

Then again, if May or Coulson were going to give him the _intentions_ talk, they would have done it a long time ago. He figures it was implied with them - if he hurts Skye, he's dead. He knows it, they know, the whole bloody world knows it.

Skye finds it amusing!

"I'm not going to say I understand what's going on with you, Barbara and that sweet Skye." He was pretty sure she was one of a handful of people who could get away with calling Bobbi Barbara. "I may not understand how three people can be together, but there's a lot I don't understand so I'll get over that. But, Skye is a sweet girl, and even if Antoine never got to make and honest girl out of her, she's very much my daughter so you better not do her wrong, Boy."

Honestly, Hunter thought, there should be a limit on how many people could adopt someone as a daughter. Other than her real father - who was now an ignorant vet Dr. Winslow - Skye had the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, the Cavalry - he felt dangerous even thinking that - Mrs. Triplett, he was pretty sure his own mother had decided to adopt Skye. For someone who had spent her childhood in the foster system she had managed to get a lot of people to champion for her as an adult.

"I may be a cad, but I'd never hurt Skye or Bobbi." He assured, partly to Mrs. Triplett, partly to himself. He would never hurt them. Not intentionally at least. "Some people find it difficult to grasp, but I love Bobbi, and I love Skye; I love them both, and I'll never hurt either of them. Not intentionally, hopefully not unintentionally... Hopefully I'll do your son justice and help make Skye happy for the rest of my life."

He's said that before; love her for the rest of his life. He and Bobbi may have gotten divorced after those vows, but he held true to them; would love her for as long as he lived even if she decided one day she didn't love him. The same with Skye, even without her words on his skin he would love her forever, and hopefully she would love him too.

"You're a good boy." Mrs. Triplett smiled a little sadly and patted his cheek. "If my Antoine couldn't make me a grandmother, I suppose you'll do a good job."

Lovely. Bloody lovely. His unborn, future - fives years future - children now currently had four grandmothers. He'd find it sweet if he wasn't so terrified of them.

* * *

Bobbi is flying the quinjet - no-one has decided to restrict her access to the aircraft's despite her recent penchant for taking them without permission. Hunter is in the back with his arms around Skye and every time Bobbi glances back she can't help but smile at them.

Bobbi and Hunter had left the Playground a week ago in search of their third. They were leaving California now with Skye and a deeper connection to Trip's family. A deeper connection to each other.

Bobbi already knows they'll be back again next year - probably sooner, just to visit sweet Mrs. Triplett - and she knows she'll keep her promises to Trip. Because he loved Skye. Because Skye loves him. Because she loves Skye.

* * *

By the time they're back at the Playground there have apparently been some personnel changes; Coulson announces that Sharon Carter has decided to leave the CIA and come back to S.H.I.E.L.D and will be on the main team. If he - or anyone else - is surprised when Skye flings herself at the other woman in a tight hug, he - and everyone else - doesn't say anything.

Bobbi smiles because they're some of the last parts of Trip that each of them has. She doesn't even feel jealous, instead she lets them have their moment and knows that Skye will be nestled between her and Lance in bed at night. Because that's where she belongs; as much as they'll all miss Trip - Skye especially - and he'll never be forgotten, and if it makes her a horrible person, so be it... Skye belongs with them.

Before they leave Bobbi catches Skye's eye and the brunette smiles, mouthing 'I love you' and that's all the blonde needs to know that Skye knows it too.

Hunter has a content little grin on his face as he talks about how he's already outnumbered by beautiful, strong women, did Coulson really need to bring in another one? They both know that he's just happy they have their Skye back after the emotional turmoil of the last couple of weeks.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait between Like A Stain installments, I've actually had the first half of this written ever since I finished Like A Stain, I just never got around to finishing it. Been having a tonne of internet problems right now, but hopefully I'll be back to normal.**

 **I'm thinking right now, that this series will only have a couple more installments before it's end. I make no promises (I also reserve the right to go back on that at the drop of a hat) and by a 'couple' I mean anywhere from 2 to 20 (closer to 2 than 20). But, I'm thinking of moving onto something else (no details in case it doesn't pan out).**

 **Also, to all you Americans (and other countries who get it) who have seen AoS season 3... I hate you all right now!**


End file.
